NIMH patients (hospitalized and outpatients) with diagnosed anxiety disorders (panic disorder, social phobia, generalized anxiety), affective disorders (major affective disorders) and normal volunteers are evaluated on psychological, interactional and developmental dimensions using self-administered questionnaire methodology. Attention is given to the role of family structure and functioning, and certain individual developmental experiences in the etiology and course of these diagnostic disorders. The National Institute of Mental Health Panic Disorder Questionnaire (NIMH-PQ) has been developed by the Section to assess special clinical and life-course of illness variables in patients with known panic disorder. This instrument has good validity on items that it shares with the SADS-L.